Daily WHUFC News - 11th October 2017

Oxford and Trott help England U20s to another big win
WHUFC.com

West Ham United pair Nathan Trott and Reece Oxford helped England U20s
continue their successful 2017 with a thumping 4-0 friendly win over the
Czech Republic at St George's Park. Goalkeeper Trott and centre-half Oxford
– who is on a season-long loan with German Bundesliga club Borussia
Mönchengladbach – both started for Keith Downing's team at the National
Football Centre in Staffordshire. Trott, 18, was making his second
appearance at this level, having also started the 3-0 win over the
Netherlands in August, while Oxford, also 18, earned his fifth U20 cap. And
the Young Lions followed up their 5-1 victory over Italy last Thursday with
another comfortable success thanks to goals from Arsenal striker Stephny
Mavididi (two) and Leicester City pair Darnell Johnson and Harvey Barnes.
England U20s have enjoyed a sensational calendar year in which they were
crowned FIFA U-20 World Cup champions in June, while winning ten and drawing
one of the eleven matches they have played in all competitions. The Hammers
pair will hope to feature again when they travel to Germany for England
U20s' final fixture of 2017 on 14 November.

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Zabaleta: Sakho can make a big impact on our season
WHUFC.com

Diafra Sakho can continue to make a 'big impact' on West Ham United's
season, according to teammate Pablo Zabaleta. The Argentinian has been
impressed by Sakho's attitude and application in training and matches amid
speculation over the striker's future in east London. And now, with the
transfer window well and truly closed, Zabaleta has urged the Senegal star
to keep up the good work that has led to goals in the Premier League,
Carabao Cup and 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in recent weeks. "Diafra can
have a big impact for us because he's a great player, but it is all about
confidence," said Zabaleta of Sakho, who has registered three goals and one
assist in just 233 minutes of football in Claret and Blue this season. "He's
not been playing much in the Premier League aside from coming on for a few
minutes, and his only starts have been in the Carabao Cup. "This is what you
expect from players like this who, even if they are not starting the games,
they come on and give 100 per cent, even if it is only for ten minutes. He
did that against Swansea, so I'm very pleased for him."

Following his late London Stadium winner against Swansea, Sakho made the
most of his recall to the Senegal squad with another vital goal, this time
the opener in a 2-0 World Cup qualifying win in the Cape Verde Islands.
Zabaleta has seen the No15's quality for himself and urged the forward to
keep his head down, keep working hard and aim for a place in Slaven Bilic's
Premier League starting XI. "Personally, I always try to understand player's
situations. I'm a new player here and I don't know Diaf's situation from
last season or three or two seasons ago or whenever but, when the transfer
window closed, Diaf was a West Ham player and he has given everything
because he is important for this Club and is a great player. "He has done a
fantastic job for this Club, so he needs to fight for a place, show the
manager he is worthy of a place in the team and that's it. "The best way to
do it was like he did against Swansea, coming on, making runs, working hard
and scoring goals. That is the only way to show the manager you are worth a
place in the team and that healthy competition between everyone has to be
like this.
"I understand that every player cannot play every week. This is the
manager's job, thinking what is best for the team. As a player, I've been
dropped many times and the only way I can show I am worthy of a place in the
team is by performing and working hard – this is what it's all about."

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Arnautovic assists as Austria finish World Cup campaign with win
WHUFC.com

Marko Arnautovic assisted Austria's goal as his country rounded off their
FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign with a 1-0 victory in Moldova. Austria
went into the game knowing they could not catch Serbia, the Republic of
Ireland or Wales at the top of Group D, but ensured they finished on a
positive note thanks to Rapid Vienna midfielder Louis Shaub's second half
goal. Arnautovic laid on the only goal of the game as he won his 66th
international cap, and although Austria's attempt to qualify for the finals
in Russia ultimately fell short, the Hammers attacker had a productive
campaign personally, scoring four goals and assisting three more in his nine
appearances.
Meanwhile, Academy youngster Dan Kemp also started as England U19s warmed up
for next month's UEFA U19 Championship qualifiers with a 2-2 friendly draw
in Slovakia. The Young Lions led twice through Mason Mount and Elliot
Embleton, but were pegged back on both occasions as the scores ended level
in Senec.

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THE TOXICITY AT THE HAMMERS IS PALPABLE; SOMETHING MUST CHANGE
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 9 OCTOBER 2017 AT 8:37PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Steve Taylor

The disappointment of last season

West Ham United's last season was one of sheer disappointment to their
faithful supporters. While an eleventh placed finish in arguably the most
competitive league in world football doesn't constitute failure, it doesn't
represent success either – especially for a team that flaunt aspirations of
becoming one of the biggest in the Premier League.

As the Irons undertook their contentious relocation to the Olympic Stadium,
there was talk from the upper echelons of the West Ham hierarchy that they
could potentially compete on both the domestic and European stage, which
will be much to the delight of their fans and, of course all of their
sponsors like Betway for example.

While these fanciful claims reeked of a lack of substance and realism, it
did signal the ambition and intent that the West Ham owners were hoping to
display in an attempt to realise their dreams. The move to Stratford was
supposed to be accompanied by the addition of a recognised talent, a player
of great repute – this hope also failed to transpire, with the Irons missing
out on the likes of Lacazette and Michy Batshuayi.

To exacerbate the relocation process, the Hammers' form at their new home
was wretched. During West Ham's last season at the Boleyn Ground, they had
the seventh best home record in England's top flight. In 19 league games at
Upton Park, they amassed 34 points which included nine victories and only
three defeats. This record was superior to the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea,
and Everton.

By stark contrast, their home form last season was substantially worse. In
the first 19 home league games at the Olympic Stadium, the Hammers only
attained 25 points out of a possible 57, a reduction of nine points in
comparison to the preceding season. To provide context, this placed them
16th in the home table, only Crystal Palace and Southampton had a worse
record at their respective home grounds (out of the teams that managed to
survive the drop).

Summer optimism

Following the disappointment that their last campaign engendered, there was
greater cause for optimism over the summer period, certainly with the
transfers that the club had completed. If there were questions regarding
David Sullivan and Neil Gold's ambition they were silenced somewhat with the
acquisitions of Javier Hernandez, Marko Anrnautovic, Joe Hart and Pablo
Zabaleta.

These additions have undeniably enhanced the quality of West Ham's side, yet
they've failed to ignite their team into a period of sustained form. Slaven
Bilic's side is currently positioned 18th in the Premier League table,
having endured three successive defeats against Manchester United,
Southampton and Newcastle United and a win against Huddersfield with odds
for West Ham to get relegated in the 17/18 season at 7/2. During more than
360 minutes of Premier League football, the East London team have only
managed to score four goals.

While considering their woeful start to the new campaign, it's important to
recognise the depletion that West Ham have endured this summer. Four
first-team additions have been made to their squad, while 16 players have
left the Olympic Stadium. It was also widely publicised, that their
relentless pursuit of Sporting's William Carvalho came to no avail.

Time for change

The discord that exists between the manager and the owners is tangible; one
can sense that neither one nor the other fully appreciate or entrusts each
other. This unrest and disunity – which has often been expressed publicly –
has contributed towards the tension and toxicity that is currently
associated with West Ham.

Without question, there are areas of the Irons' game that they must address
swiftly, especially their discipline. In four league games, they've already
received seven yellow cards and one red card, an average this is two cards
per game. It is of the utmost significance that they address this issue if
they're to register positive results over forthcoming weeks.

There is also a question of strategy, Bilic has deployed the 4-2-3-1
formation in all four Premier League games this season, losing three and
conceding a total of ten goals. It is conceivable that this lack of
flexibility has derived from their small squad, yet it's evident that the
formation is failing to utilise the players' qualities, and they were
comfortably outplayed in both the Newcastle and Manchester United defeats.

Football is often regarded as a cruel industry, in which managers are
scarcely given time to breathe devoid of criticism even though Billic seems
to have the backing of his players. Nonetheless, if West Ham's fortunes are
to change this season, they must intervene soon or live to regret the
consequences of failing to act.

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Scudamore rules out Xmas Eve slot
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 10th October 2017
By: Staff Writer

It has been confirmed that there will be no 4pm fixture in the Premier
League on Christmas Eve. Speaking at a meeting with a fans group from
Manchester earlier today, the League's Executive Chairman Richard Scudamore
confirmed that there will no 4pm fixtures on the day, which falls on a
Sunday this year. However there was no word on the lunchtime slot, meaning
that West Ham's home match with Newcastle - one of the fixtures potentially
set for a Christmas Eve date - could yet take place on the day. Sky Sports
have also announced they will be not be naming the Christmas TV schedule
until 19 October - a week later than initially planned.

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Is this really how people see West Ham?
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 10th October 2017
By: Paul Walker

I'd hoped for a quite fortnight, no chance of West Ham losing a match
because it was the international break, and there was plenty of time for a
short holiday for myself, family and friends to help consume as much of the
Kent wine harvest as possible. We did OK, thank you!

You would have expected the West Ham circus to take a break too. No chance
there, it seems, even though I had naively lived in hope.

It's been all talk, talk about a new manager which gives the outside world a
very poor impression of our club and how it's run.

Slaven Bilic had won the match we were all reliably informed he had to win
to avoid the sack. He did just that, as he had on about half a dozen times
previously in the past year or so when the pressure was on.

It wasn't very pretty, dreadful in fact, but a win is a win and we were out
of the bottom three having had to play a ridiculous game of catch up from
what the Yanks would refer to as 0-4 (I put that in just to make our new
director, Mr. 10 per cent from across the pond, a certain J.Albert (Tripp)
Smith feel at home now he's managed to find out where, and what, London E20
is).

Fair to say, there's a few of our lot who would wish they couldn't find
Stratford either. But that's a story for another day, Tripp, old boy!

Then we had every media outlet and website worth their salt being briefed
that Slav would stay on now until the summer and the end of his contract.
That, of course, hasn't stopped 22 names (my reckoning) being linked with
his job.

It hasn't stopped perma-tanned, fake blonde Simon Jordan calling Slav
"Dysfunctional"… I'll get to him later. And the boy Jack being blasted as
"inappropriate" by Graeme Souness, one of the finest footballers of his
generation and a more-than-decent TV pundit.

Oh, and there has been the quite disgraceful (by Sky) attempts to play our
home match with Newcastle on Christmas Eve. My Christmas Eve is spent trying
to get a few sherbets down, ferrying turkeys, grandchildren and various dogs
and relatives into appropriate position for the following days' festivities.


There's also that last minute, ten bags of shopping to negotiate from
Sainsbury's. I am sure that applies to most of my fellow Hammers
(supermarket of choice, of course). The day does not include football.
Enough said.

As for young Jack and his twitter stuff. Souness was a bit harsh, the lad
has tempered his outpourings of late, but even so he still does comment on
the club, and that looks like it's coming from his dad.

Many of us feel that club hierarchy should not do social media in this way,
it leaves a very bad impression and is more trouble than it's worth. It
leaves the perception - obviously picked up by Souness - that too many
people chattering from on high damage the manager.

It's an image we just don't seem to shake off. I wonder how many players
decide not to join us because of the image of chaos we create?

Jack did OK to respectfully praise Souness and state his view. Then he
ruined it by inviting Souness to stand with him on a cold touchline in Essex
to see his girls' team play. I sense Souness would rather have pins pushed
into his eyes first.

As for Jordan. This is a man who is reputed to have lost £50m of his own
money running Crystal Palace, and then took them into administration. And he
calls Bilic "dysfunctional".

Back to the serous stuff, sadly. The stay of execution for Slav was tainted
somewhat by the claims from someone inside the club that he was only still
around because they couldn't find a successor from in house.

Before I continue, I wish to assure everyone that this is not going to be an
attack on our good friends at C&H, and Hugh, a long standing former
colleague and pal of mine who I admire immensely for setting up the best
on-line newspaper in the Premier League. It is a newspaper, not a fans'
website for opinions, people should remember that.

If someone offers him information on a "sources said" basis, he should use
it. I certainly would. It is the vendor of this titbit that infuriates me.
What on earth the players and Slav feel about such an under-handed slight I
cannot imagine.

And it's also a load of rubbish. Every top flight manager employs loyal foot
soldiers to run the show for them. They move with their man from club to
club, clearly happy to trust them rather than the employers.

Rafa Benitez does not even have an assistant manager, just three Spanish
coaches. Jurgen Klopp the same (but with Germans). Pep Guardiola has three
coaches working under him, at Chelsea there's also a coach, Steve Holland.

Names like Jason Tindall (Bournemouth), Paul Trollope (Brighton), Ian Woan
(Burnley), Rui Faria (Man Utd), Erwin Koeman (Everton), Michael Appleton
(Leicester), Eric Black(Southampton), Jesus Perez (Spurs, a coach), David
Kemp (WBA), Christoph Buehler(Huddersfield) and Nigel Gibbs (Swansea) are
the next in command at their clubs.

Mark Hughes at Stoke has old hands Mark Bowen and Eddie Niedzwiecki watching
his back. Not one of these coaches and assistants mentioned would be
considered experienced enough to take over as manager of the respective
clubs.

So to suggest that Slav is the only manager to surround himself with worker
bees is nonsense. No manager employs someone who is capably of agitating for
the top job, or would get it. Look how quickly Brendan Rodgers got rid of
Steven Gerrard. Our owners should not find excuses to stop them doing what
they feel is necessary. Even if it costs.

But once again, what enrages me is seeing a manager told he is safe until
the end of the season, while the long list of potential managers keeps being
paraded. It may more likely be agents ringing Sullivan and offering him
their man rather than the club openly searching for a new manager.

But I still believe there are off-the-record briefings going on. Martin
Samuels, in a recent Mail report, suggested that there was time for a
"period of silence", and that the culprits "know who they are".

Then he had another pop at the board by suggesting that Leicester, who have
a reputation for sacking managers, are being very quiet about their current
situation. While West Ham, with no history of quick sackings in recent
seasons, cannot stop talking about new managers.

Just who comes up with this list... Walter Mazzarri, Quique Sanchez Flores,
Carlo Ancelotti, Sean Dyche, Chris Coleman, Thomas Tuchel, Rafa Benitez
(twice), David Wagner, Manuel Pellegrini, Roger Schmidt, Rudi Garcia,
Slavisa Jokanovic, Simone Inzaghi, Roberto Mancini, Marcelo Bielsa, Maurizio
Sarri, Ryan Giggs, Brendan Rodgers, Unai Emery, Gary Monk, Alan Pardew and
Eddie Howe?

Everyone has been mentioned recently in the media, plenty in the last
fortnight, as a replacement for Bilic. Come on gents, you sure know how to
make a guy feel unwelcome.

Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the
author and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be
attributed to, KUMB.com.

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MATCH DAYS IN THE LATE SIXTIES AND THE SEVENTIES
By Tony Hanna 10 Oct 2017 at 08:00
WTID

This week I look back 40-50 years using a few of my previous articles as my
inspiration

Going to West Ham in the late sixties and the seventies was quite a
different experience compared to today. Many of the older fans who read this
article will remember fondly some of the memories and hopefully remind us on
some of the things I may have forgotten. It may be some of their experiences
might be slightly different? For the younger readers it will hopefully give
an insight on what the experience of a game at Upton Park was like forty to
fifty years ago.

Foreign players were rare in our domestic league at this time and players
wages were not extravagantly higher than a good standard wage. Players would
often stay at their clubs for ten years or more and if they reached this
milestone, testimonial games would be played so as to give them the proceeds
of the gate takings to help them start their new careers after football.
Many ex-players from those days would use the money to buy a pub or start up
a small business. In 1966 the average weekly wage was just under 20 quid and
a top flight footballer was averaging 44 quid with an expected playing
career of about ten years. Pubs were often a popular post career option for
them. They served as an immediate draw card with the prospect for punters to
be served down at their local by a former professional footballer and they
also provided an easy continuation of the drinking culture that was rife in
the game at that time. I doubt many provided long term financial success
however.

The seventies was the era of the skinhead. Originating among working class
youths in London in the 60's, the movement soon spread all over the UK. In
the mid to late 60's hooliganism was starting to become a culture at
football grounds. What was later to become known as "firms" became an outlet
for many that wanted something much more tribal. No club in England had more
tribal fans than West Ham's. There were a lot of young men and boys around
at that time. It was baby boomer time, an era of large families, a product
of the end of World War two. Rejecting the austerity of the 50's and the
peace loving hippies of the 60's, instead seeking their own identity, the
skinhead evolved from the hard core mod. The street culture was different
then too, in working class areas. Mums and dads didn't want six or seven
kids in their tiny homes when it was light. "Go out and play and make sure
you are home by dark". So the kids piled onto the streets or playing fields
if you were lucky enough to have any close by. Gangs formed in many places
and kids had to become street wise. Perhaps it was this nous that enabled
most of us to tread relatively safely through those football days that were
considered dangerous.

My match day journey as a youngster would start in Loughton and a change at
Mile End on the tube would have you at Upton Park in around 40 minutes. The
walk down Green Street was an experience in itself. Everywhere you looked
there were stalls selling old and new programs, scarves, bobble hats, badges
and rosettes etc. The smell that drifted from the hot dog stalls was quite
over powering. If you wanted to go to Upton Park on a Saturday it was likely
you would have to start queuing from about 1pm for a 3pm kick off. However,
if you were a young 'un that needed to get down the front it was a must to
be there by 11.30am. What seemed normal then but strikes me now, is how many
young kids used to go to games on their own. I was just eleven when I first
started going and there were plenty of other loners of similar age in the
North Bank with me! With so many kids going, you can take the "official"
attendances from those days with a pinch of salt. So many of us were pushed
through as pairs in a single turnstile by the operators looking for a few
extra quid in their pockets. Occasioanally, if you were lucky, you might get
the two and six back yourself. Along with all the other kids I knew that
went to West Ham or other football grounds back then, the costs were all
paid by paper rounds, washing windows or other odd jobs. Most mums and dads
just couldn't afford pocket money with such large families so you had to
work for the football money or miss out. It wasn't long before I had mates
to go with but the scenario was still the same. In those days it was all
standing except the Upper West. If you did decide to get to the game around
2pm you would find queues on the western side of the ground right down to
Green Street. Apart from the season ticket holders in the seated Upper West,
it was cash to get in and if the ground was full you missed out. My own
first experience at Upton Park was delayed a few weeks as my dad thought it
ok to arrive at the ground at 2.30pm for a game v Liverpool. Sorry, all
doors locked – Full House! I still remember how gutted I felt. I had waited
months to get to my first match and I was entranced by what seemed a huge
ground at the time and having to listen to the crowd singing from inside the
stadium before having to make our way home and waiting for another day.

Bobby Moore had his own sports shop across the road from the ground and the
Hammers official merchandise store was located in a caravan parked to the
side of the Western entrance. Prior to the game the "monkey nut" sellers
would circle the exterior of the pitch as buyers would send their money down
via other fans and the bags of peanuts passed up the same way or thrown to
them if the vendor had a good arm!

In the early part of this era some may remember "Monty"? Affectionately
named after Field Marshal Montgomery he was believed to embark at Barking
(perhaps there is a clue there) train station? He would dress in full army
uniform and march along the South Bank blowing his bugle to much fun and
laughter. It certainly did get everyone in a good mood! By 2pm the crowd
would always be in good voice and Bubbles was only one of many songs and
chants that would echo around the ground for an hour or more. The North Bank
was the main area for the vocals but the old Chicken Run (East Stand) was
often a sway with our favourite song. Traditionally the South Bank was the
area for the away fans and for an hour or more before the game the taunting
chants would to and fro incessantly between the rival fans. Into the
seventies and West Ham fans made a presence in the South Bank as well,
stemming mainly from the catalyst that was soccer hooliganism. Prior to this
it was not uncommon for the South Bank to be completely filled by away
support when playing the bigger clubs. Many of the chants were accompanied
by the raucous kicking and banging of the Dr Martens clattering into the
corrugated iron that formed the back of the North Bank…."we are the famous,
the famous West Ham." Of course the "Knees Up Mother Brown" has died
completely since seats replaced standing areas and the chant "United" has
all but disappeared apart from the obligatory two that follow Bubbles.

Around 2.30pm the Leyton County Silver band would come out and play near the
players entrance, central to the West Stand. The only time most fans were
paying attention to the band was when they started to play Bubbles as this
was the signal that the teams were on their way out onto the pitch. It was
around this time that the newspaper reporters and photographers would file
around to their normal positions of behind and to the side of the goals. In
those days the pitches would deteriorate after October and by January very
little grass existed in the penalty areas or centre circle. Then at around
2.50pm Bobby Moore would lead the team out, ball resting on his hip and
secured by his arm before flicking it in the air as he entered the pitch and
kicking it towards the North Bank –what an inspirational captain he was! The
Hammers always liked to have their pre-match kick around at the North Bank
end and it was that end they wanted to defend in the first half if we won
the coin toss – mainly to have that support upping the volume when attacking
that goal in the second half.

In those days there were no mobile phones – heck, we didn't even have a home
phone. Nearest phone booth was half a mile away, if it worked. So, no
looking at your mobile for score updates. Best we could manage was a small
scoreboard at either end of the ground with letters A-L. The match program
would show what letters corresponded to the games being played elsewhere and
at half time numbers indicating the score would be placed next to the
letters.The biggest cheers came of course if any of the other London clubs
were losing, and Manchester United.

From my many visits back to watch West Ham there is no doubt that the
singing and atmosphere created at both grounds (UP & LS) has fallen many
decibels below the old days. With notable exceptions including Manchester
United in the final game at UP and the Spurs game last season, most games
deliver a pretty sterile experience in comparison. The all-seater stadiums
have certainly created a safer and more comfortable experience but to be
honest I think today's fans are missing out on what a truly incredible fever
pitch a football game can deliver consistently. The upside is that attending
a football game nowadays is relatively safe and the facilities are a World
apart, unlike in the days of skin heads and soccer hooliganism. The truth is
that following West Ham home and away in the seventies, you would be
watching football shrouded in a threatening atmosphere that tended to hang
over games like a dark cloud, ready to burst.

Fashion? A typical "uniform" in the early seventies would be a grandad vest
with a Ben Sherman shirt and braces. Docker trousers or Levi jeans would be
accompanied with Dr Marten boots or "monkey boots" if you could not afford
the real thing. There were many other clothes that were fashionable though.
These included brogues, loafers, Crombie's, Harrington jackets, sheepskin
coats, Prince of Wales trousers, tonics and brutus shirts. Must admit, I
"slummed" it in a donkey jacket, dockers and monkeys! The scarves tied to
the belts or wrists of fans have now been replaced by replica shirts. The
hard men of football have been replaced by diving cheats. Mud bath pitches
have been replaced by pristine oversized bowling rinks. The crowd surges and
swaying has been replaced by mass exoduses at half time for refreshments and
before full time for quick getaways. That anxious wait for 6pm and the
Evening Standard late edition to hit the newsagents to find out the other
scores and updated tables has been replaced by instant results on our
phones. Were they the good old days or the bad old days? Or a bit of both?

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DIAFRA SAKHO - IS HE WORTH A CONTRACT EXTENSION ?
By HamburgHammer 9 Oct 2017 at 09:02
WTID

Another international weekend, another unnecessary interruption of the West
Ham fixture calendar. I only have some fleeting interest in European
qualifiers, there are teams I obviously want to see at the major
tournaments, including England, Wales, Iceland and yes, also our fiercest
rivals, the Dutch, then there are loads of countries I feel indifferent
about and also teams I can happily do without at the World Cup, like Turkey.
But in general I only follow the qualifying stage online, reading results
and sometimes match reports rather than watching the games.

Germany in general are renowned for being a tournament team, one that
delivers when it counts, not necessarily shining in the qualifying rounds or
group stages. This time though you cannot really argue with the current
World Champions not losing a single point in any of their qualifying games,
scoring 43 goals in ten games, conceding only four in the process, although
of course against fairly tame opposition, but you can only beat what's in
front of you, so at least the Germans will be spared the humiliation of not
being in a position to even try and defend their title on Russian soil next
year. No, I don't want to hear any unsolicited wartime puns and jibes from
anyone here at this point…;-))

Another positive football related news item has reached us from the home of
the Norwegian Blue parrot (beautiful plumage!), well, it's good news from
Norway.
In a quite progressive and exemplary gesture the Norwegian FA has decided to
pay the female players representing their country the same amount of money
as their more prominent (and richer) male counterparts.
Both national sides will earn an annual pay package of just under £575.000
each, to be divided among the individual players.
The men's team apparently was prepared to sacrifice a portion of their own
wedge in order to facilitate the equal pay concept which will kick in at the
turn of the year.

The move has been hailed by the female national side players for obvious
reasons, but it's not just about the money as such, but what it represents
in terms of recognition and showing that the development of ladies football
is not going unnoticed at least in certain countries with Norway being the
first of hopefully a lot more countries that may follow suit.

Norway winger Caroline Graham Jensen posted a message on social media,
praising the men's football team for chipping in financially to make the
equal pay scenario a reality. She said "For you to say that equal pay is how
it should be, makes me want to cry. It makes me want to hug you all. Thank
you for making it a bit easier to chase our dreams." Good on you Norway,
land of fjords, log cabins and exemplary behaviour by the footballing
authorities.

Talking West Ham now there hasn't been an awful lot happening in the world
of West Ham. Some players were away on international duty, obviously, and
Arnautovic scored, yet failed to qualify. Diafra Sakho scored too and
apparently even managed to not get injured again in the process! This is a
continuation of a positive streak for Sakho who has now scored for both club
and country in recent games.

It confirms what we all have known for a while: A fit and healthy Diafra
Sakho, with his head screwed on in the right place, is worth his weight in
gold. He's had his issues in the past and is what I would mildly describe as
an interesting character. But as a footballer he is undoubtedly skilled and
gifted, he also has quite an engine and presses the opposition defenders no
end – I always love to see that.

Sakho strikes me as an arm around the shoulder type of guy, he seems to be
quite sensitive, so in order to get the best out of him you need to talk to
him, support him, make him feel wanted, respected and cherished. It begins
with the pay, but doesn't end there. I really feel Sakho still could have a
lot to give to West Ham. A happy Sakho is a striker we cannot afford to
lose. I don't think the exact circumstances of the mysterious January
transfer attempt to Stade Rennes have never been properly explained.

Of course Sakho would want out if he doesn't feel he's got a fair chance of
getting any gametime. The time to sell him would be January as you could
still get some cash for him at that point as his contract is running out at
the end of the season. Problem here is though that every striker we allow to
leave will need to be replaced.
That does require in all likelihood the payment of a halfway decent transfer
fee (and we all know to what crazy levels the prices have skyrocketed in
recent months) and our board are nor exactly renowned for happily spending
the cash when it comes to West Ham.

If we can convince Sakho he can have a good future at West Ham it may be
worth offering him a new deal and increase his wages, to reflect his
contributions as a goalscorer, to be monitored and evaluated over the next
three months. A new deal may come a lot cheaper for the club than trying to
find and sign a new striker from elsewhere.
It's been a tough time for Sakho at West Ham, especially last season, but I
cannot help but keep my fingers crossed that things will turn out well for
both the player and our club.

If, after all, the player or West Ham should decide though to let Sakho go I
really do hope we do our homework and find a suitable replacement who is
also a realistic target we can actually sign. I'd hate to see another
Carvalho scenario unfolding here.

In Germany we've had a bit of an upheaval recently, quite literally, with
storm Xavier tormenting Northern and Eastern Germany last Thursday, with
hundreds of trees being felled by the force of the storm, heavy rains
contributing further to the general mayhem, killing seven people in total,
injuring hundreds more, bringing public transport to a standstill in certain
areas for several days after the event.

Concordia football was largely unaffected, with the games being scheduled
for yesterday and apparently all trees surrounding the ground standing firm.
To my unfettered joy both Cordi teams won, Cordi 2 starting the day with a
5:2 win with the first team following suit with a 2:0 win of their own, so
both are now firmly back on the right track, on the road towards a promotion
push. Long may it continue.

Next weekend will finally see our beloved West Ham back in action. I know
it's Burnley, it's at their ground and they are a well drilled and
disciplined unit. Still we need to start to win those games and approach
these fixtures accordingly, in a positive manner, with hopefully a full
squad to choose from. I reckon we should go with a a pacy lineup rather than
the predictable battering ram approach featuring Andy Carroll as starter.

I would love to see Chicharito starting with Sakho, AC can still cause some
havoc coming on for the final 30 minutes. Maybe Lanzini will be fit and
ready to start as well.
And could we see Bilic taking a bit of a gamble by starting Masuaku instead
of Cresswell, combining with Arnautovic on the left wing ? All shall be
revealed next Saturday.
COYI!!!

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THERE IS NO CAMP 3
By Mike Ireson 9 Oct 2017 at 17:00
WTID

Here we are then. Another poxy international break and another opportunity
for you to realise you really don't care about the national team.

I won't attempt watching an England friendly as the timescale to when I
start scowling at the television, bemoaning that most of the team aren't
worthy of cleaning Kevin Keegan's boots let alone pulling on the shirt has
become frighteningly short.

Even the dog gives me the skunk eye, bewildered at such bluster being
spouted from the other end of the sofa.

I'll Dip in and out of qualifiers, but I can't stay the Distance. I grew up
across a couple of generations of England squads where it meant something to
be selected. You looked up to these players as they were playing for
England. The afore mentioned Keegan, Brooking, Shilton, Hoddle, Lineker,
Gascoigne, Pearce, Adams, Butcher, Robson, Wilkins etc. I can go on much
longer.

Now what are people looking up to? Jake Livermore? Michael Keane? Harry
Maguire? Phil Jones?

Enough to bring a tear to the eye of a grumpy old man.

But I Digress, I Didn't come here to moan about England, I came here to do
what one should always do during a dull international break and that is play
devil's advocate and try to get a debate going.

Although now I've chucked the England thing in you've got 2 topics to
Discuss – double bubble!

Now I want to make it clear, I thought Slaven Bilic was the right man for
the West Ham managers job when he was appointed, and I still think he is the
right man.

But every time we don't win a game there is usually a media led hub bub that
Super Slav is on his way out of the exit. Currently only Everton's woeful
form is keeping his name from being the bookies favourite for the chop next.
But he's a close second.

So what if the 2 Dave's were to actually strap him to the ejector seat and
hit the button?

Current favourite to replace him is the villain from Scooby Doo before he
has the mask pulled off, Manuel Pellegrini.

All the other usual suspects are there Mancini, Ancelotti, Benitez.

But one name is absent and surely there must be some mistake. For there can
only be one possible candidate for the London Stadium hot seat.

Step forward Paolo Di Canio.

Now, instantly you have just formed yourself in to one of just 2 camps.

Camp 1 – Spot on, he's West Ham through and through, a legend, just the man
we need.

Camp 2 – Are you mad? He is bordering on a lunatic with questionable
political beliefs who will tear the squad apart and make us a laughing
stock.

There is no camp 3, there is no in between.

Camp 1: When manager of Swindon, across 95 games he had a win % of 56.8.
Apart from Sir Trevor's 2 short spells, no West Ham Manager has ever got
near that. The best being Billy Bonds with 43.6. We'd take that kind of win
rate all day long wouldn't we?

Camp 2: When manager of Sunderland he alienated the squad so much a group of
senior players demanded the board get rid of him. They Did. Managing a group
of players at Swindon who relied on their pay packets and were in awe of a
superstar is completely different to managing a squad of rich Premier League
stars who need carrot rather than whacking great stick.

Camp 1: Just his presence on the touchline would help ramp up the atmosphere
at the London Stadium. Regardless of anything else it would be worth it to
see him run the length of the touchline and knee slide after a goal. The
roof would come off the place. Surely a Di Canio/Dicks management team would
get the players playing?

Camp 2: This is a man who will argue with his own reflection. It would only
be a matter of time before he fell out with everybody and he walked away/was
escorted from the premises. A Di Canio/Dicks management team would be like
the lunatics running the asylum.

A simple choice people – camp 1 or 2?

COYI

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Rice, Haksabanovic, Martinez - the West Ham players who could save the club
millions in January
It's unlikely the club will be purchasing anyone in January but if things go
wrong, these three could save them millions
Football London
Sam Inkersole
16:00, 10 OCT 2017

It's only October but the January Transfer Window is never far from our
minds especially when it comes to West Ham, who are seemingly linked with
hundreds of players every window. Manager Slaven Bilic was backed - to an
extent - in the summer and with his contract set to expire this summer and
with no sign of it being close to being extended, it's unlikely he'll be
getting any players in January even if he did want them. Unless the club is
struggling badly down the wrong end of the table then that might change but
it's unlikely we will see many new faces in January. If we do, you can bet
your mortgage on them being Sullivan and Gold purchases, not Bilic ones.
With that in mind, there are a few players who could save the club millions
if they are given a proper chance in problem positions, three of them in
particular.

Declan Rice

Harshly hauled off after his error at Newcastle which allowed Joselu to
score, Rice's confidence could well have taken a hit as he hasn't been seen
on the Premier League stage since that third game of the season. Now at
eight top flight games by the time the trip to Burnley comes around, Bilic
would be wise to at lest give some minutes off the bench to the impressive
18 year old because when Christmas comes around and that packed fixture list
with t, Rice could well be needed and we know he is good enough for this
level.

Sead Haksabanovic

Manuel Lanzini's fitness has been a major issue so far this season and
despite a plethora of attackers at the club, Haksabanovic is as direct a
replacement as anyone for the Argentine. He was brought in with this
wonderkid stigma attached to him but we have only seen the one senor
performance fro him and that was in the Carabao Cup win over Bolton. Maybe
playing him alongside Lanzini s a bit much with two creative midfielders in
but we reckon it could be a bit of fun for sure.

Toni Martinez

With Diafra Sakho hinting he may well be off in January, there could be a
striker vacancy in the first team and that is where Martinez can step up.
The Spaniard can consider himself unfortunate having seen the likes of Rice
and Nathan Holland get first team minutes this season while Martinez has
remained with the Hammers U23s in PL2 Division One. West Ham have struggled
a bit for goals this season and a bit more firepower will never go amiss.
Though Martinez is unproven, so was Marcus Rashford and look how he turned
out?

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WALTER MAZZARRI EYED BY BOTH WEST HAM AND EVERTON
MICHAEL OLIVER @MichaelOIiver
ReadWestHam

While Slaven Bilic seemingly has the backing of both David Gold and David
Sullivan for the time being at West Ham, the club hierarchy are still doing
some due diligence on potential replacements for the Croat.

With his contract up at the end of the season and no decision made on
whether the club will stand by their former defender, the Hammers continue
to be linked with replacing Bilic in the not too distant future.

One man who is apparently on the club's radar is Walter Mazzarri, who
remains out of work after leaving Watford at the end of last season.

The former Inter Milan boss successfully guided Watford to Premier League
safety last season but as part of the club's philosophy to chop and change
their managers, the Italian was given the boot after just one year in
charge.

Mazzarri still lives in London and would be open to another bite at the
Premier League cherry, but West Ham could face competition from Everton for
him as they eye the experienced coach as a potential replacement for the
under-fire Ronald Koeman.

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